Phlebotomy

The appropriate needle gauge to use for most venipuncture collections is

20 guage

After selecting the appropriate location to collect a blood sample, how many inches above that location should the phlebotomist fasten the tourniquet?

3 to 4 inches

Which patient description is correctly matched with the appropriate site selection?

A 53-year old male with a central line has a specimen collected from the dorsal side of the hand.

EDTA is an

Anticoagulant

Which of the following actions should the medical assistant take to make a vein more prominent when attempting to select a venipuncture site?

Apply a warm compress to the area for 5 minutes.

An infant is brought to the clinic for a CBC. After performing a heelstick, not enough blood is collected to perform the test. Which of the following actions should the medical assistant take?

Apply a warm compress.

Which of the following actions by the medical assistant demonstrates safe use of a centrifuge?

Balance the tube load to prevent breakage.

Prior to any type of inpatient specimen collection, a phlebotomist must correctly verify their patient's identity by using which two-step procedure?

Check ID bracelet, and ask patient to verbally confirm their identity.

The phlebotomist needs to draw routine labs. The skin preparation for this procedure would be.

Cleanse the site by using a circular motion from center to periphery

The medical assistant is collecting a sample on a 2 year old outpatient by finger stick. Following the collection, the medical assistant holds firm pressure on the site until bleeding has stopped. How should the medical assistant proceed?

Do not bandage the site.

Patient has a DVT in left arm and the patient is also on blood thinners, where would be the best site for drawing blood?

Draw right arm and hold for 5 minutes

Identify the CLSI recommended micro-collection order of draw for a BMP, CBC & Bilirubin.

EDTA, Heparin, Serum Separator

When performing a CBC on a six year old, the parent insists upon using an anesthetic at the venipuncture site. Which would be correct?

EMLA

Since special precautions are needed for patients with Vascular Access Devices, which of the following devices are contraindicated for any type of blood draws?

Fistula

Which of the following actions should the medical assistant take to prevent hemolysis of a blood specimen in an EDTA tube?

Gently invert the tube after collecting the specimen.

A patient's past history indicates episodes of syncope. Which of the following would be the best course of action the phlebotomist would perform to prevent complications of syncope?

Have the patient lie down on a hospital bed or exam table.

Which of the following characteristics applies to veins

Have valves to prevent backflow of blood

After a phlebotomy draw, the phlebotomist realizes the tourniquet was on the patient's arm for an extensive length of time. Which of these is the most common complication?

Hemoconcentration

During a venipuncture the patient has excessive bleeding and then states she forgot to mention her anticoagulant (Coumadin) therapy. Which of the following should the medical assistant do?

Hold pressure on the site for a minimum of five full minutes until bleeding stops.

A phlebotomist is staffing the outpatient clinic at a remote site. There is a centrifuge at the site, but it is not functional. The courier will be arriving to pick-up all samples collected at 1300, and will deliver to the testing laboratory at 1500. A patient arrives at 1200 with orders for Complete Blood Count, Prothrombin Time, and Basic Metabolic Panel. Which tubes should the phlebotomist use for blood collection?

Lavender, Blue, Green, Gray

Which of the following Vacutainer tubes is routinely used for hematology testing?

Lavender-topped

A physician asked you to draw a INR on Mr. Jones which tube and additive would you choose

Light Blue, Sodium Citrate

The laboratory requisition indicates that you are to collect a venous blood specimen for hematology CBC testing, serum chemistry testing, and coagulation studies. What is the proper order of collection for these tubes?

Light blue, red, lavender

Which of the following tube tops contain silica particles to enhance clotting and a thixotropic gel to assist in the separation of serum and blood cells?

Marbled red and grey

Which of the following tests is required in all 50 states to screen newborns for metabolic disease?

PKU

Which of the following tests monitor anticoagulation therapy?

PT and PTT

A phlebotomist inserts a needle into a patient's vein and notices there is no blood flow into the tube. The needle is positioned against the wall of the vein. How should the phlebotomist proceed?

Relax the needle's angle slightly, and insert new tube

When performing a venipuncture, sudden swelling is observed at the insertion site. Which of the following actions should the medical assistant take?

Release the tourniquet, remove the needle, and immediately apply pressure at the site.

During a blood draw, a patient begins complaining of discomfort and tingling, at which time the phlebotomist notices bruising and discoloration at the site. How should the phlebotomist proceed?

Release the tourniquet, withdraw the needle, and apply pressure.

Using the guidelines for any method of venipuncture, which of the following actions should the medical assistant perform directly after confirming patient identity?

Review the requirements for collecting and handling the blood specimen as ordered by the physician

Which of the listed tubes can contain ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid?

Royal blue

The phlebotomist is drawing plain red, lavender, and blue top tubes. Upon completion of the blood draw, the phlebotomist noticed that an order that requires a SST has been missed. What would be the next action?

Share the plain red top specimen for the SST test.

The physician orders a sedimentation rate for a patient recovering from an infection. This is indicated on the lab requisition as which of the following?

The Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) is a common test to detect inflammation by measuring the rate at which red blood cells settle to the bottom of a tall, thin tube.

A medical assistant has active symptoms of the common cold. Under which of the following conditions may he perform venipuncture?

The medical assistant may perform venipuncture provided he is wearing a mask and afebrile.

After centrifuging a blood specimen, the medical assistant notes the serum has a reddish appearance. Which of the following has occurred?

The specimen is hemolyzed.

Which of the following statements best describes the reason antecubital veins are most desirable to use when performing venipuncture?

The tissue surrounding these veins is less sensitive, making the procedure less painful.

When a complete metabolic profile (CMP) and complete blood count (CBC) are ordered at the same time, why should the CMP be drawn first?

Tubes without additives should be drawn before tubes with additives.

A phlebotomist is asked to collect a CBC, PT and Chem 7 on a patient that requires a hand stick with a butterfly needle into evacuated tubes. The correct order of draw for this collection would be

Two Light Blue Top Tubes, Green Top Tube, Lavender Top Tube

After several minutes of searching the medical assistant can only palpate a small vein. The patient is prepared and the venipuncture is performed. The blood is filling the tube, but slows and then stops even though the patient and medical assistant remained still. Which of the following actions should the medical assistant take?

Use a smaller tube because the vein has collapsed.

After a patient's skin is punctured to obtain a blood glucose level, what should be the phlebotomist's next step?

Use a sterile gauze pad to remove the first drop.

Filling evacuated tubes to the indicated level results in the correct ratio of

additive to blood

When performing a venipuncture on an infant, the amount of blood taken from the infant should be monitored to avoid

anemia

Which of the following types of additives is present in an EDTA tube?

anticoagulant

To help prevent a hematoma at the site after drawing blood, which of the following actions does the medical assistant take?

apply direct pressure with cotton gauze

Capillary blood specimens are typically collected on patients that

are extremely obese.

An entry level medical assistant goes to collect blood from a 70-year-old woman with diabetes who had a mastectomy of the left breast. The medical assistant notices a PICC line in the patient's right arm. For this specimen collection, the medical assistant should

ask a nurse to collect the specimen.

At what time should a test tube be labeled with the patient's identification?

before leaving the patient's room, after drawing the blood

Which of the following specimens is most susceptible to cross contamination and should always be drawn first?

blood culture

The medical assistant has an order to collect a CBC with diff, PT, a basic metabolic panel (BMP), and blood cultures. Place the collection tubes in the correct order of draw.

blood culture bottles, light blue, red, lavender

Which of the following is an appropriate alternative to using a rubber tourniquet when attempting a venipuncture on a known patient who is difficult to obtain a sample from?

blood pressure cuff

The physician has ordered a prothrombin time (PT) and complete blood count (CBC) for an adult patient with a diagnosis of thrombophlebitis. The medical assistant should collect the evacuated tubes in which of the following orders?

blue, lavender

While performing a venipuncture in the antecubital space, the patient verbalizes an extreme amount of pain and the blood in the collection tube is noted to be bright red. Which of the following sites is most likely to have been inadvertently punctured?

brachial artery

A CMP is ordered for an older adult patient whose veins continue to collapse despite drinking water. Which of the following is the best collection method for this patient?

butterfly needle

A 2 week old infant has been brought to the lab for a repeat PKU/neonatal screening. Which of the following collection procedures is appropriate to collect the specimens?

capillary using heel puncture lancet

Which of the following forms is the medical assistant responsible for having the patient sign when a specimen is being collected for substance abuse screening for employment?

chain-of-custody

During processing, the centrifuge rotor lid should be kept

closed to maintain an airtight seal.

The medical assistant collects blood for a test that requires a blood smear. What is the terminology that would indicate that the sample clumped (therefore requiring a redraw)?

coagulation

While performing a venipuncture using an evacuated tube, a small amount of blood enters the tube and then stops. Which of the following conditions is likely to lead to this?

collapsing vein

A medical assistant needs to draw a bilirubin on a jaundiced infant. The medical assistant should

collect the specimen in an amber tube to protect from light.

After a phlebotomist has successfully followed all the steps for blood collection, the patient informs the phlebotomist that he tends to bleed longer than the average person. What would be the next course of action for the phlebotomist?

confirm hemostasis and apply paper tape

When collecting specimens for alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST), avoid gray-topped sodium fluoride tubes because the anticoagulant

destroys many enzymes.

Venipuncture on the foot is performed in which of the following locations?

dorsal pedis

The medical assistant is asked to draw blood from a patient with an I.V. whose opposite, left arm is inaccessible. Drawing blood from which of the following sites would be appropriate without a physician's approval?

draw from the right arm distal to the I.V. site

Which of the following additives protects serum from interacting with red blood cells after a specimen has been centrifuged?

gel separators

A test tube with which of the following colored stoppers has a glycolytic inhibitor?

gray

Which of the following evacuated tubes should the medical assistant select for collection of electrolytes?

green-top

Forceful shaking of blood in an evacuated collection tube will cause which of the following complications?

hemolysis

A phlebotomist has received a requisition for a PT/aPTT to evaluate the patient for Von Willebrand's disease. Because of the patient's potential diagnosis, the phlebotomist should be sure to

hold pressure on the draw site until bleeding has stopped.

Which of the following tubes should the medical assistant select in collecting a blood sample for a Complete Blood Count (CBC)?

lavender top, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid additive

The physician orders a prothrombin time. Which of the following tubes should be used to collect the specimen?

light blue

A patient is at the lab for their weekly PT/INR. Which of the following tubes should the medical assistant collect for this test?

light blue top

Which of the following evacuated tubes should the medical assistant draw first?

light blue top

The patient was sent to the lab to have CBC (lavender), PT/PTT (light blue), CMP (green), and glucose (grey). Place the evacuated tubes in the correct order of draw.

light blue, green, lavender, gray

The phlebotomist should send a specimen collected in a yellow stopper tube with SPS additive to which of the following laboratory departments?

microbiology

A patient with an order for a blood draw presents with burns covering both arms. Which of the following is the medical assistant's best option for collecting the largest amount of blood for this patient?

microtainer tube

Which of the following items is more commonly found on a phlebotomy tray?

multi-sample needle

For which of the following patients is the use of an adhesive bandage contraindicated?

newborn with hyperbilirubinemia

The phlebotomist is drawing blood from a patient that is taking blood thinners. Which of the following is a necessary piece of additional equipment to have at the drawing station?

non-adhering bandage

Capillary blood specimen collections are contraindicated in patients with

peripheral edema.

A phlebotomist has received a requisition to collect a blood culture. Using a butterfly, three milliliters of blood is collected. Into which of the following bottles is the proper dispensation of the specimen?

place all three mLs in the aerobic bottle

A phlebotomist has received a requisition to collect a blood specimen on patient in isolation. When entering the patient's room, which should the phlebotomist do first?

put on the gown

The patient reports feeling faint, and slumps forward during a venipuncture. After calling for assistance, which of the following actions should the medical assistant take next?

remove the tourniquet

When performing venipuncture on a patient with a left mastectomy, which site should the medical assistant use?

right antecubital fossa

A centrifuge functions in which of the following ways?

rotates to separate components of a patient's blood

Which of the following is a likely complication from repeated phlebotomy procedures in the same area?

sclerosed veins

Which of the following is the additive in the light blue top tube?

sodium citrate

A syringe is preferred over a vacuum collection device when

the patient's veins are fragile.

Blood cultures are always drawn first because?

to avoid contamination of the cultures.

Which of the following actions is appropriate for the medical assistant to take if an evacuated tube does not even begin to fill during a specimen draw?

try another evacuated tube prior to withdrawing from the vein

When inserting a needle during venipuncture, the bevel should be in which of the following positions in relation to the vein?

up

In which of the following time frames should a tourniquet be routinely released on a patient while performing a blood draw?

within one minute